Wire drawing apparatus



Jufly M3, 1934. J, um 513 ET AL 1,966,395

WIRE DRAWING APPARATUS Filed July 26, 1950 3 Sheets-Sheet l y 1934. E. J. MQILVRIED El AL WIRE DRAWING APPARATUS Filed July 26, 1930 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Ilillllf! Ill rill/ Illa in V W6 c/ M July 10, 1934. E. J. M ILVRIED El AL WIRE DRAWING APPARATUS Filed July 26, 1930 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented July 10, 1934 1,966,305

WIRE DRAWING APPARATUS Edwin J. McIlvried, Akron, and Jesse O. Bittman,

Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, assignors to The Vaughn Machinery Company, Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application July 26, 1930, Serial No. 470,892

lfi-Claims. (Cl. 205-16) This invention relates to apparatus for worksuitable for high speed operation. It should be ing material in strand or strip form, and more understood, however, that our invention may also particularly our invention relates to a novel form be used in connection with various kinds of maof wire drawing machine. chinery for the drawing or working of material 5 The principal object of our invention is to prosupplied thereto in strand or strip form. 80 vide improved wire drawing apparatus in which In the apparatus which we have illustrated, novel means is employed for tensioning the strand we have shown strand working machinery l0, issuing from the working means; in which autoto which material to be worked is supplied in matic strand gripping means is provided for prestrand or strip form, and from which the strand venting withdrawal of the issuing strand into of worked material is delivered to suitable spool- 65 the cas h us t e Wo means; in which ing means 11. The strandworking means housed jaw means is provided for gripping the issuing within the casing 12, embodies a series of suitable strand when the tension thereof is relieved; in dies 13 which are supported upon t di k t; which novel means i r d for applying a or shelf 14, and through which the strand is Compound-removing and yi agent W the drawn by means of the rotatable drawing cap- 7 tra d issu n f om the wor mea s; and in stans l'and 16. on the side of the die bracket which the slot for threading the strand through apposite t t on which t drawing capstans 15 the drying means is provided With IlOVBl COVE! and 16 are arranged we provide an idler capmeans h stan 17 having a plurality of flanged and inde- 23 The die arrangement hereln c o u not pendently rotatable idler sheaves 18 around 7 cla med, iS cla d in ell-pending epplieatiflh which the strand passes. The drawing capstans fie-1 Number d September 11, and 15 and 16 are arranged in axial alignment with the p un distributing means herein each other, and by suitable driving means (not c d ut t la d, i a m d in (t -p ndi shown) are adapted to be rotated in the same application Serial umber 562,328, filed Sept mdirection but at different speeds. The drawing her capstans are of well known construction, being Other objects and advantages of the invention made up of t -like arrangements of annular will be apparent'irom the following description drums of djfierent i t r The varying drum e taken in eonjunetifln with the aeeempenydiameters of these capstans, and the provision 30 Sheets 0f drawings in which for different speeds of rotation thereof, take care Figt 1 is e side elevationel View of Wire draw of the increase in the length of the strand, which 8 machinery embodying 0111 invention results from its passage through the dies.

F 2 is a top P View thereof- In wire drawing machinery as heretofore cori- Fi 3 is e P fif the Strand h" structed, it has-been common to provide a ro- 35 mg a d pp devlce Wlth Parts thereof tating die for finishing the strand being worked.

seemm- It has been customary, however, to mount this Fig. 4 is a side elevational view thereof. fi ishing die independently f t di br ket 5 is an end View of the Strand nwhich supports the working dies. In our strand 8 a pp device taken in thedil'eetien working apparatus as herein illustrated, we

40 indic d y t lin f i mount the rotatable finishing die 26 at the outer Fi 6 is an e ati a view taken i end of the die bracket 14, and extend a shaft, rection indicated by line 66 of Fig. 3.- through the die bracket ior operating the rotary Fig. 7 is an end elevational view of the tendie from th l t ie t r 32, s nins device sh w n t sheave ua d- We have designated the strand, being worked Fig 8 is a Partial side elevation on an enlarged by the reference character 37, and as represented scale, showing the releasing mechanism for the Figs 1 and 2 0f t drawmgs, t strand passes strand gripping meensy from the workingmeans to the spooling means 9 is Partial Sectional P View ShOWiIlg the 11 where it is taken up by a suitable reeling oprr -n m n f fl Passages in the drying eration, such as by being wound upon the spool 50 Vice, and 38. In the operation of apparatus of this kind,

Fig. 10 is a sectional elevation taken on line it is desirable that the strand of material passing 10-10 of Fig. 9. from the working means to the spooling means in the drawings, to which detailed reference be maintained under tension and, for this purwill now be made, we have shown our invention pose, we provide the tensioning device which is 55 embodied in wire drawing apparatus which is indicated generally by the reference character 39.

In addition to its function as a tensioning means, this device also serves as a guide means which changes the direction of travel of the issuing strand, andpermits the spool 38 to be located near the floor upon which the machine is supported so that lifting of spools through appreciable distances is avoided.

The tensioning device is mounted upon the end wall of the casing 12 in such a manner that the idler sheave 40 thereof is movable in a vertical plane. This idler sheave is mounted for rotation upon the anti-friction bearings 41 which are arranged upon the shaft 42. This shaft is mounted in the head portion 43 of the movable bracket 44 so as to extend in a substantially horizontal plane, and is retained in the head portion by suitable means, such as the pin 45 which extends through the shaft. The end of the bracket 44 opposite the head portion 43 thereof is pivotally mounted upon the shaft 46, which is supported by suitable bracket means 4'7 secured to the end wall of the casinglZ. For moving the bracket 44 so as to impart movement to the sheave 40 in a direction to increase the tension on the issuing strand, we provide suitable means which normally tends to swing the bracket in an 'upward direction. While any suitable means may be employed for this purpose, we prefer to use a coil spring 48, which surrounds the shaft 46, and has one end thereof secured to the stationary bracket 47 and the other end thereof secured to the movable bracket 44. When the device is assembled, the spring 45 is initially stressed so that thereafter it always tends to swing the movable bracket upwardly about the shaft 46.

During the operation of apparatus of this kind, the strand of material being wound upon the spool frequently breaks, and to prevent the issuing strand from being withdrawn into the casing which houses the working means, we provide a device 50 for automatically gripping the strand as soon as the tension thereof is relieved. This automatic gripping means comprises a substantially funnel-shaped body member 51, having a tapered tubular passage 52 through which the issuing strand travels. To provide for movement of the gripping device in a vertical plane with the tensioning sheave 40, we support the body member 51 by securing the same to one end of the arm 53. At the other end of this arm, we provide an enlargement or head portion 54, having anti-friction bearings 55 assembled therein for rotatably mounting the arm 53 upon the idler shaft 42. It will thus be seen that as the sheave of the tensioning device moves up and down in a vertical plane, the body member 51 of the gripping device also moves up and down in a vertical plane.

It will be noted that, as shown in Fig. 4, the axis of the body member 51 is substantially tangent to the bottom of the groove, of the sheave so that, in passing from the capstan 16 of the working means to the sheave of the tensioning means, the strand passes through the body member in a straight line and is not subjected to deflection or bending. For maintaining this straight line relationship between these three elements, namely the capstan 16, the sheave 40 and the axis of the body member 51, we provide suitable linkage resembling a pantograph arrangement which has the effect of maintaining the body member at all times in a position with respect to the sheave and the capstan such that its axis is always tangent to the two latter members regardless of the different positions which the body member and the sheave may assume in the vertical plane. The resulting movement for the sheave and for the body member which we have just described, is brought about by the use of the connecting link 56 in conjunction with the swinging bracket 44. The connecting link is arranged with one end thereof pivoted to the casing 12, and the other end thereof pivotally connected to the arm 57, which is formed integral with the head portion 54 of the arm 53. It will be seen from this arrangement that, as the sheave 40 is moved up and down in the vertical plane by the swinging of the bracket 44 about its shaft 46, the link 56 imparts movement to the arm 53 causing it to swing upon the bearings 55 through a sufficiently great angular distance to maintain the axis of the body member 51 in a straight line position, which is always tangent to the sheave and to the capstan 16.

It will be noted that the body member 51 of the clamping device extends through a slot provided in the end wall of the casing 12 with the flaring disc portion 58 within the casing. If desired, a flexible sealing gasket, such as the rubber sheet 59, may be provided to prevent the escape of fluid through the slot of the casing wall. This flexible sealing member is formed with a vertical slit through which the body member 51 of the gripping device extends. The flexible sealing gasket permits vertical movement of the gripping device in the vertical slot, but tends to close the slot through the casing wall at points above and below the body member.

As already stated the body member 51 is carried upwardly and downwardly simultaneously with the sheave by the swinging movement of the bracket 44. It has also been pointed out how, under the influence of the link 56, the body member is tilted during-its upward and downward movement so as to maintain its axis tangent to the sheave 40 and to the capstan 16. However, in securing the correct positioning of the axis of the body member during its upward and downward movement, the link 56 also causes this member to be moved axially to some extent. That is to say, as the body member is moved upwardly it is also moved farther into the casing 12, and as the body member is carried downwardly it is moved in a direction tending to withdraw it from the casing.

The mechanism of the gripping means is carried by the outwardly flaring disc portion 58 of the body member 51. This mechanism includes a pair of movable jaws 60 and 61, which are provided with hardened contact elements 62 for engagement with the strand. These jaws are mounted for swinging movement by being secured to substantially parallel vertical shafts 63, which are journalled in the pairs of aligned brackets 64 which extend laterally from the disc portion 58. It will be noted that the straight line distance between the axes of the vertical shafts 63 is somewhat less than the combined length of the two jaws 60 and 61 so that when these jaws are moved toward each other to close upon the strand they donot assume a straight line position and, accordingly, an increasing pull upon the strand tends to move the jaws toward a straight line position with the result that the strand is more securely gripped by the contact elements 62.

For retaining the jaws 60 and 61 in proper cooperating relationship, we construct these members with sectors or racks 65 which are preferably integral with the jaws and have interengaging teeth so that the jaws must move simultaneous ly and cannot move independently of each other.

In addition to their function of maintaining the cooperating jaws in proper relationship, these racks also provide a means for moving the jaws to open and closed position. To impart movement to the racks so as to actuate the jaws in a direction to cause them to close upon the strand, we provide a spring 66 having the opposite ends thereof secured to pins 70, projecting downwardly from the underside of the racks. This spring is under tension and normally tends to swing the jaws towards each other and into engagement with the strand.

Movement of the jaws to the open position is attained by providing the jaw 61 with an actuating roller or cam follower 71 which is so arranged that it will engage the inclinedsurface of the cam 72 secured to the wall of the casing 12. When the jaws of the gripping device are to be set in the open position, the operator swings the bracket 44 downwardly against the action of the spring 48. The downward movement of the bracket moves the body member 51 downwardly and also moves it in a direction tending to withdraw it from the casing. The downward and outward movement of the body member causes the jaws 60 and 61 to be opened by the engagement'of the follower '71 with the cam 72.

For releasably retaining the jaws in the open position against the action of the spring 66, we provide locking mechanism which is best illustrated in Fig. 8 of the drawings. This locking mechanism comprises a vertically reciprocable plunger '73 which is guided at its lower end by one of the brackets 64 and at its upper endby the laterally extending bracket 74. This plunger functions in the manner of a'sliding bolt, and is of sufficient length so that when moved downwardly its lower end extends through the bracket 64 into a recess provided in the jaw 61. A coil spring 75 which surrounds the plunger, abuts against .the bracket 74 and normally presses the plunger downwardly so that when the jaws are swung to the open position, the plunger will snap into the recess of the jaw 61 and will retain thejaws in the open position. For moving the plunger 73 upwardly against the action of the spring 75, so as to retract the same from the recess of the jaw 61 and thus release the jaws so that they can be quickly moved to closed po-.

sition by the spring 66, we provide a trip member 76 which is pivotally supported at its center upon the pin 77. One end of the trip member is constructed in the form of a fork, having pairs of vertically aligned tines 78, which straddle the plunger '73. For operablygponnecting the fork of the trip member with the plunger so that the latter can be moved upwardly against the action of the spring 75 by tiltingthe trip member about its pivot 77, we provide the plunger with a transverse pin '79, which extends between the vertically aligned tines 7'8.

When the strand breaks during the operation of the wire drawing machine, the tension being suddenly relieved, the bracket 44 lifts the sheave 40 and the gripping device upwardly. The link 56 affects the movement of the gripping device in the manner already explained, so that simultaneously with its upward movement it'is also moved laterally further into the casing 12. This upward and inward movement of ,the gripping device brings the end portion so of the trip member '76 into engagement with the abutment member 81, mounted upon the wall of the casing. This abutment may be of any desired form, but is here shown as a set screw which is adjustably will be seen that by this arrangement, thejaws' are retained in open positionduring normal operation of the machine and substantially simultaneously with the relieving of the tension of the strand incident to the breaking or cutting thereof, the jaws are released and moved into effective gripping engagement with the strand so as to prevent the latter from being withdrawn into the casing where it would become snarled and tangled aroundthe apparatus housed therein.

As is well understood in' the operation of wiredrawing machinery, slippage occurs between the strand and the drawing capstans, and it is customary to use a fluid which is commonly called a compound which acts as a lubricant and cooling medium for the working of the strand. For supplying compound to the drawing capstans 15 and 16 of the present arrangement we provide the die bracket 14 with a row of nozzles89 which arespaced to correspond with the spacing of.

the annular surfaces of the capstans. These nozzles are mounted on the side of the die bracket which is nearest the drawing capstans, as shown in Fig. 2, and are arranged to direct streams of compound against the capstan surfaces.

- As the strand issues from the working means and from the casing 12 some of the compound clings to the. surface of the strand. For drying the strand, or removing therefrom as much as possible of the compound before the strand pa'ssesto the spool, we provide means for applying a drying agent to the strand while it is in motion. As the drying agent, we prefer to use a fluid such as compressed air and for directing this fluid against the strand we provide the body member of thegripping device with an extension 95 having a passage therethrough which aligns with the passage 52 of the body member 51. The

walls of the extension are provided with fluid channels 96 which extend substantially parallel to the axis of the extension. Fluid is supplied to these channels by suitable means, such as the of the streams or jets-of fluid, is inwardly toward the strand and is also toward the casing from which the strand issues. By inclining these deliv-. ery passages in the direction from which the strand moves, the jets of fluid delivered thereby are not only more effective in removing compound from the strand, but also blow the compound back into the casing.

As the issuing strand passes over the sheave 40 its direction of travel is changed, as indicated in Fig. 4, and some of the compound still clinging to Q the strand is thrown off at this point. For collecting this compound so that it can be returned to the casing, and for preventing the compound from being thrown ontoother parts of the apparatus, we provide an arcuate guard 99 which extends circumferentially a part of the way around this sheave. This guard may be of any suitable form and is preferably spaced from the sheave 40 a distance which will permit insertion of the wire into the groove of the sheave by passing it under the guard, and yet spaced sufiiciently close to the sheave to collect the compound thrown off the strand. During the functioning of the tensioning device, the sheave swings upwardly and downwardly in the vertical plane and to prevent the guard from being moved into the path of the strand, it is necessary to provide for adjustment of the guard so as to keep it adjacent or opposite the portion of the sheave with which the strand contacts. To achieve this result, we mount the guard upon the head portion 43 of the movable bracket 44 so that the guard will be rotatable around the same axis as that about which the sheave rotates; The guard is constructed with an integral depending arm 100 which is of sufficient length to extend radially outwardly beyond the edge of the sheave. arm of the guard aligns with the radially projecting portion 101 of the arm 57. -A suitable connecting member such as the bar 102 extends between the arm 100 and the portion 101, so that upon movement of the bracket 43 about the shaft 46, the link 56 will cause the guard 99 to be swung and correctly positioned circumferentially of the sheave. In addition to its function of collecting the compound thrown off the strand, the guard also serves to prevent the strand from jumping off of the sheave.

To enable the machine operator to quickly thread the strand of material through the drying and gripping devices, we provide the body member 51 and the extension 95 with a radial slot 103. When the strand is to be threaded through the gripping and drying devices, it is inserted downwardly through this slot. For closing a portion of this slot so as to prevent the escape of dryingagent therethrough, we provide a cover 104 which is hinged to the extension portion 95. To prevent accidental opening of the cover, and to facilitate the insertion of the strand into the slot 103, we provide the cover with a hook-like portion or extension 105 which is arranged to sweep across the end face of the extension 95. When the strand is to be threaded through the gripping and drying device, the cover is in the open position and upon downward movement of the strand toward the slot 103, the operator catches the strand in the hook-like portion 105 thereby swinging the cover to closed position as the strand moves downwardly into the slot. The hook-like portion effectively retains the cover in the closed position since it is beneath the strand and any accidental movement of the cover towards open position causes the hook-like portion to be lifted into engagement with the strand.

While we have illustrated and described the apparatus of our invention in a detailed manner, it should be understood, however, that we do not intend to limit ourselves to the precise details and arrangements of parts shown and described, but regard our invention as including such changes and modifications as do not involve a departure from the spirit of the invention and the-scope of the appended claims.

Havingthus described our invention, we claim:

1. In apparatus of the character described the combination of means for delivering a strand of material, means for reeling the strand issuing from said delivery means, movable means for tensioning said strand, and means movable with said This radially extending tensioning means for removing material from said strand as it passes from said delivering means to the reeling means including a member having a passage for directing fluid against said strand at an angle which is acute to the axis of the strand.

2. In apparatus of the character described the combination of means for delivering a strand of material having fluid adhering thereto means for reeling the strand issuing from said delivering means, movable means for automatically gripping the strand when the same is cut or broken, and means movable with said gripping means for drying said strand including a member through which said strand passes, said member being provided with means for directing a drying agent toward said strand and in the direction from which the strand is moving.

3. In apparatus of the character described the combination of means including a rotatable element for delivering a strand of material, means for reeling the strand issuing from said delivery means, movable means intermediate said delivery means and said reeling means for guiding and tensioning said strand, means for applying a drying agent to said strand including a member having a passage therethrough, and means movably supporting said member so as to maintain the axis of said passage substantially tangent to said rotatable element and said movable means.

4. In apparatus of the character described the combination of means for delivering a strand of material, means for reeling the strand issuing from said delivering means, a rotatable member over which said strand passes, movable supporting means for said rotatable member whereby the latter can be moved to tension said strand, a member adjacent said rotatable member having means for applying a drying agent to said strand, and means connecting the last mentioned member with said movable supporting means.

5. In apparatus of the character described the combination of means including a rotatable element for delivering a strand of material, means for reeling the strand issuing from said delivering means, movable means intermediate said delivering means and said reeling means for guiding and tensioning said strand, means for gripping said strand when the tension thereof is relieved including a member having a passage therethrough, and means movably supporting said member so as to maintain the axis of said passage substantially tangent to said rotatable element and said movable means.

6. In apparatus of the character described the combination of a casing, means in said casing for delivering a strand of material, means for reeling the strand issuing from said delivering means, means for tensioning said strand including a sheave and a movable support therefor, and means carried by said support for automatically gripping said strand to prevent withdrawal thereof into said casing, said gripping means comprising a pair of movable jaws, gear means operably connecting said jaws, means for urging said jaws to close on said strand, an actuating member associated with one of said jaws, means on said casing adapted to be engaged by said actuating member for opening said jaws, and means for releasably locking said jaws in the open position.

' 7. In apparatus of the character described the combination of a casing, means in said casing for delivering a strand of material, means for reeling the strand issuing from said delivering means, and means for gripping said strand to prevent the withdrawal thereof into said casing, said gripping means comprising relatively movable cooperating jaws means, means for urging said jaw means to close on said strand, and means adapted to lock said jaw means in the open position and means rendered effective for releasing the jaw means when the continuity of said strand is interrupted.

8. In apparatus of the character described the combination of means for delivering a strand of material, means for reeling the strand issuing from said delivering means, means including a movable arm for tensioning the issuing strand, and means carried by said movable arm for automatically gripping the issuing strand when the tension thereof is relieved, said gripping means comprising movable jaw means, means for urging said jaw means to close on said strand, means for releasably locking said jaw means in the open position including a trip member, and stationary abutment means adapted to be engaged by said trip member to release said jaw means.

9. In apparatus of the character described the combination with a member having a passage through which a strand moves and a slot for threading the strand into said passage, of a. hinged cover for said slot, and means on said cover adapted to be engaged by said strand whereby the cover is swung to close said slot upon the threading of the strand therethrough.

10. In apparatus of the character described the combination with a member having a passage through which a strand moves and a slot for threading the strand into said passage, of a movable cover for said slot, and a hook-like ex= tension on said cover adapted to be engaged by said strand for moving the cover to close said slot. I

11. In apparatus of the character described the combination with a member having a passage through which a strand moves and a slot for threading the strand into said passage, of a movable cover for said slot, and means on said cover extending beneath said strand to prevent accidental opening of the cover.

12. In apparatus of the character described, the combination with a casing having strand delivery means therein, of a gripping device movable relative to said casing and having strand engaging means adapted to be moved from an open position into engagement with the strand issuing from said delivery means upon movement of the device in one direction, and means adapted to be engaged upon movement of said gripping device in another direction for moving said strand engaging means to the open position.

13. In apparatus of the character described the combination of means for delivering a strand of material, means for reeling the strand issuing from said delivering means, shiftable means intermediate the delivering means and said reeling means for automatically gripping the issuing strand when the continuity of the same is inter rupted, means for setting said gripping means including an actuating member shiftable with the gripping means and a stationary member adapted to be engaged by said actuating member, and means for releasing said gripping means.

14. In apparatus of the character described the combination of means for delivering a strand of material, means for reeling the strand issuing from said delivering means, shiftable means intermediate the delivering means and the reeling means for tensioning the issuing strand, means shiftable with said tensioning means for automatically gripping the issuing strand when the tension of the same is relieved, means for setting said gripping means including an actuating member shiftable with the gripping means and a stationary cam adapted to be engaged by said actuating member, and means for releasing said gripping means including a trip shiftable with the gripping means, and means for actuating the trip upon shifting of the gripping means through a predetermined distance.

15. In apparatus of the character described the combination of means for delivering a strand of material, means for reeling the strand issuing from said delivering means, shiftable means intermediate the delivering means and the winding means for tensioning the issuing strand, and means shiftable with said tensioning means for automatically gripping the issuing strand when the tension of the same is relieved, said gripping means comprising relatively movable cooperating jaw means, means for urging said jaw means toward a strand engaging position, means for setting said jaw means in a normally open position including a jaw actuating member and a stationary cam adapted to be traversed by said jaw actuating member, and means for releasing said gripping means including a trip shiftable with the gripping means and a stationary abutment adapted to be engaged by said trip.

16. In apparatus of the character described the combination of means for delivering a strand of material, means for reeling the strand issuing from said delivering means, shiftable means intermediate the delivering means and the winding means for tensioning the issuing strand, and means shiftable with said tensioning means for automatically gripping the issuing strand when the tension of the same is relieved, said gripping means comprising relatively movable cooperating jaw means, spring means normally urging said jaw means to close on said strand, means for opening said jaw means in opposition to said spring means including a jaw actuating member and a stationary cam adapted to be traversed by said jaw actuating member, means adapted to lock said jaw means in the open position, and means for releasing the jaw means for actuation by said spring means when thetension of the strand is relieved including a trip and a stationary abutment adapted to be engaged by said trip.

EDWIN J. MCILVRIED. JESSE C. BI'I'I'MAN. 

